1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to heating and cooling pads and mattresses using water to regulate temperature within a pad, and more particularly pertains to a living and open water system which re-circulates water through a pad. The open and mutable nature of this invention allows users to not only access and change the water and regulate its temperature, but personalize each treatment with additions of crystals, blessings, aroma therapy and other variants.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of water to heat and cool pads or mattresses is known in the prior art. More specifically, pads or mattresses devised and utilized previously are closed system pads containing air or other materials to surround tubes conducting heated or cold water through the inventions. These inventions consist of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
Known prior art includes: U.S. Pat. No. 6,568,006, which describes a heated air mattress with tubing disposed within its interior for circulating heated waters to heat the mattress; U.S. Pat. No. 4,149,541, which describes a fluid circulating pad with waffle-like channels for circulating heated or chilled water; U.S. Pat. No. 5,500,007, which discloses a water bed base with heating pipes that circulate water from a tank with an electric water heater, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,643,336, which describes a therapeutic pad with tubing for re-circulating a fluid from a closed reservoir.
While the prior art devices referenced herein fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents disclose closed systems that utilize the circulating fluid solely for temperature control, so that access to the fluid is not required, nor even easily permitted. Furthermore, that these are closed systems makes it difficult to quickly change the fluid that is being circulated, for example, when rapid temperature changes are desired or when other characteristics of the fluid are desired.
Many practitioners of holistic and alternative health treatments believe that water possesses vibrational energies, or signatures, that can be conveyed to living organisms, such as the body, when the water is taken internally, placed in contact with the skin, or circulated near the body, as in a pad for a massage table. It is believed that certain of these vibrational energies possess a particular spin that can carry unhealthy messages, producing negative effects such as inducing stress, while the opposite spin can remove stress and enhance health. The latter type of water is often referred to as “living water,” which is created by processes such as exposure to high levels of positive energy, thereby canceling out any negative signatures, or by placing crystals or minerals in the water.
This inventive device includes a layered pad that has affixed to it a series of water tubes secured by a fastener, like the ubiquitous fabric hook and loop fastener system (such as Velcro®) to the bottom of said pad. The ends of the tubes project outward and are fluidly connected to a water pump. This pump is capable of being placed in any of a plurality of water containers, typically constructed of ceramics or materials exhibiting similar characteristics. The water containers are removable for cleaning. Although at least one water container is contemplated, the present embodiment exhibits three separate water containers. A box which may be used to hold said containers, may be wired with a safety switch or timer on the first water holder to prevent overheating if the water contained therein evaporates. A separate water container may be utilized as a holding container for the water pump when it is not being used. Said box may have a power switch with an on/off toggle to control the water pump. Yet another container may have controls for heating the water contained therein and may also have low, medium, high and off settings. The variety of positions for the water pump allow for the user to choose between cold, hot, or otherwise treated water and control the exact temperature to suit the needs of the person receiving therapy.
This invention is distinguishable from standard heating pads or mattresses in that it is: (1) not electrically heated—a means of heat disliked due to the electromagnetic fields generated which disrupt the users' energy fields, and (2) not a closed system incapable of being cleaned, monitored and personalized. Prior art closed water system pads or mattresses have the inherent problem of not remaining sterile, becoming contaminated with and harboring bacteria, and quickly degenerating due to the expansion and contraction caused when water flow is either started or stopped. The prior art also suffers from the limitations of being incapable of easy maintenance and is limited in its variety of use. Finally, an air-filled mattress utilizing a closed system with an electrical heat source would suffer practical limitations, since it would be prone to the previously mentioned problems. Furthermore, air temperature is more difficult than water to vary and/or maintain at constant levels due to its physical characteristics. In these respects, the living water system pad substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art and, in so doing, provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of providing a therapeutic and warm or cold open water system pad that is both easy to use and maintain.